The Path We Took
by Slientwindgaze
Summary: Never look back they say. But who are they to say anything. We are aloud to look back. Not necessarily turn back and walk the other direction but we are aloud to dream of what could have happened. i want criticism. be mean!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell me whats wrong.


Standard disclaimers apply. You know the   
  
  
The path we took   
  
  
The cemetery. Julia is pointing her gun at Spike.  
"It was raining that day as well…"  
"You didn't come because of the rain?"  
"I was supposed to kill you. That day if I had killed you I would  
have been free."  
"So why didn't you? Why did you choose to be pursued?"  
"Why did you love me?"  
Julia puts down the gun and embraces Spike.  
"Let's just run away somewhere. Truly escape from this world and go  
where no one else is... Just the two of us…"  
  
Why does life play out the way it does? I always wondered if there are people up there in that place called heaven with regrets. But are they up there, Or where ever our sprits go when we die? Are they friends, the three of them like in the old days before a thing tore them apart. Would if they took the other turn on the road? Never look back they say. But who are they to say anything. We are aloud to look back. Not necessarily turn back and walk the other direction but we are aloud to dream of what could have happened.  
I was created from one of these dreams. I have a name, the terribly common name of Rene. My parents are two silent withdrawn people, who are always dreaming of something else, thinking of long ago. I live in the remote desert of mars where I've never come in contact with any humans of any sort since my early days of child hood. I would describe my self as a beauty like my mother, or the dangerous hansom type as my father is. I'm a hybrid of the two, neither beautiful nor ugly just plain, simple normal in every way possible. It seems that even though I'm not a real person that I am loved. Even though I am living in the mind's eye of a dead person I have a created family, a place I call home, and a story to tell. A story that I never even thought up, because remember I am not real.  
  
Chapter 1. Change in the typical Schedule   
  
The scenery never changes on vast red deserts of the Martian surface. Trust me I know, I've been here since I was a year old. Same thing every day. Huge red dust clouds of sand and iron roar up over my family's trailer home and skate across the land, heading to the next town to be stopped by the large building that I see in the distance. And the scenery never changes inside the trailer either. It's a usually morning today at the great old Spiegel's home. I wake up and pull my under fitted blue genes and stretch. I stand up and nudge our gray cat Onyx in the ribs and dig through the Bureau to find my usual white tank top and red handkerchief bandana. I take a comb and work out the tangles in my blonde, and after a few hard and worthless tugs I pull the bandana on over my hair and reach under my bed to locate a possible pair of socks to wear. My boots sit by the door and I hop on one foot out into the hall way, well sort of a hallway, and stumble into the kitchen and my father who is stareing at me like I'm some sort of idiot clown doing a balancing act. I grip his shoulder and finish pulling the boot on and then reach up to kiss his cheek. Afterwards I proceed to the cabinet where the cereal is stored and pull down a box of Cheerios . I get a small carton of milk and head to the table where my mother is sitting reading a magazine published before I was born some seventeen years ago.  
Breakfast is silent as usual. After I finish my bowl goes into the sink and it's time to study. I return to my room and pull out my worn math book and scrounge for a pencil in the desk drawer.  
A typical day I an say at the least. But something's different. I'm on the porch trying to escape the trapped heat of the metal trailer and reading a book when a cloud of dust whirls up in the distance. My first thoughts are a dust devil ad I better head for cover, but the sounds of an engine hold me in place and I squint to see what is now thought to be a car of some sort heading our way.  
I call my parents out and they come to observe my discovery. My dad is still shaving his face and my mom has nothing but a slip as the guest comes to a stop in front of the house. No one ever has come out here to see us but today a man raises up out of a red car and leans on the hood. I edge behind my father's back as the man begins to speak in his moderately deep voice directing the conversation at my father.  
"Long time no see Spike. Hello ma 'am, miss." he tips his old fashioned hat at my mother and I. I duck, and he smiles at my shyness.  
" 'lo Jet. What bring you out here?" Father runs his razor blade across his face and flicks the shaving cream so it lands in the sand and brings up a towel from his pants and whipped his chin.  
"I'm pretty sure you're not here because you missed me."  
"no you're right. I came here with news about the Syndicate, and Vicious." Mother gasps and signals that I go inside to my room so I open the door and slide into my room. The voice in the kitchen are easily herd from all corners of the house, so as my mother invites this man into the house I silently listen to their conversations from behind my closed door.  
"he's caught on to your location. He's not precisely sure where but he's sending scouts to survey the land where he believes you are hiding out."  
"Where are you getting this information?"  
"Shin is staying on the Bebop until Faye has their baby"  
"Really, how sweet. I wonder if Shin knows if the woman is old enough to be his grandmother."  
Laughter echoes through the trailer and then my mother speaks up.  
"What does Vicious know?"  
"that I'm not sure. I know shin says he has suspicions of you guys. Like Rene's existence and your location, but over all the two of you are safe. However Shin says if Vicious is to try any thing your daughter is the one most at risk. that's why I came to you with an offer."  
"Yeah, what kind of offer?"  
"That I take Rene off of Mars. Keep her from harm, and any kind of dangers."  
"yeah and what can you do?"  
"Take her to Earth. There is a certain girl there who just lost her husband and daughter to a large Meteorite crash. She would be more than happy to watch over Rene until you can get rid of Vicious, because I know that's what you are planning to do isn't it Spike?"  
"Feh. You never seice to amaze me Jet. You read my mind like it were an open book. The problem is I would never trust Ed with my only child's life."  
"Comeon Spike. Ed isn't as, different as she was eighteen years ago. It seems since her marriage to a fellow hacker and the birth of her children she's settled down to earth a little more, and has become lets say, mature ."  
"is that so. And how do you know that Vicous is after Rene?"  
"Shin herd them talking around, catchin rumors in the synicate Vicious know that he cant lay a finger on Julia, so if her cant get what he wants directly, kidnapping is the next best approach. It all makes perfect sense."  
"Ransom? Figures. that's how that bastard works. I was under the impression that Shin was out of the Syndicate. Or at least running from it."  
"I wouldn't say he's still in it. He's acting as a spy, or something no doubt. He knows he cant over throw Vicious - so his plan is hurt him in any way possible. This time he's after his finical works. He's going for any weak point that the syndicate throws at him. It's hard work I assume. Especially if your on a one man team"  
"Right." I hear the sounds of the kitchen chairs pushing from the table and I hear someone standing up and walking across the room.  
"Well Spike. You decide. If so I'll be sending some one for the girl tomorrow."  
"Heh. That is if we are here tomorrow." I hear the sound of guns loading from around the trailer. My hear leaps and I jump up. The window is open and I see unfamiliar men pointing their fire arms at the trailer. I duck under the bed s the as the first sounds of gunfire come crashing through the windows and shower my room, ripping my belongings to shreds. I grab my cat and close my eyes tight as the defining sounds crash their way through the glass and metal that surrounds me.  
My door is smashed down and I see my father from my post under the tattered bed. He falls flat as bullets blindly shoot over his head, and he army crawls to where I am. I grab his arm and burry my face into his shoulder. He reaches out and fires his gun. I hear the sound of a man dying out side the window. I tighten my grip on my dad and begin to sob.  
"Hush Rene! You are going with Jet."  
"What! No1 Daddy no."  
"Be quiet! You herd me! Now when I give the signal you are going to go, as fat as you can. Take this gun and run. Shoot."  
"daddy!"  
"You remember what I taught you. How to shoot a gun."  
"No. daddy"  
"Use two hands, one only if needed. Keep your right index finger on the trigger and your left hand around the right. don't hold it too close to your body and when it fires brace your self."  
"Daddy. No! no I wont. don't make me go daddy. Daddy."  
"Listen to me Rene. I've known for the past two years that this would happen. I've just been ignoring it. Jet is a nice person and will take care of you. I want you to run straight to the car and don't look back. You're mother will cover you. Look at me."  
"daddy." I sob harder as my father takes my face into his hand and looks at me. Face to face I look into his eyes and he smiles his warm friendly smile and kisses my cheek. He hand me the gun and shoves me out fro under the safety of the bed.  
"Go now! don't look back! Run!" I do so. Mom is standing in the kitchen aiming her gun at the door. I lift mine up and prepare to shoot.  
Mom looks at me blankly. She points to the cleared door and nods her head. I run and dodge bullets. I pace out the door and leap down the steps. Someone shoots and I locate them. I hold by breath and aim . I pull the trigger. Someone falls and I turn to face them. Every thing happens so quickly. I shoot two more men before I reach the car where the man named Jet is waiting. He take a few more pop shots and flings his body into the car and I hurry into the passenger seat and aim my gun out the window. I shoot two more pursuers before Jet steps on the gas and the car lifts up into the air and begin to speed across the land. I look back at my battered home. Various dead and wounded men are sprawled across the front of the property. And last before it disappears in the horizon, I see my father fall at the last crack of gunfire and I scream. I want to go back to him, but I know I cant. Father wouldn't have wanted me too. So I watch as the trailer slowly disappears from view  
  
  
  
2 B Continued…………  
  
So how do you like? Please R&R. if there are enough reviwes I may continue the story. 


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